Dictionary of South African Biography – Volumes I to V by W. J. de Kock, D. W. Krüger & C. J. Beyers (eds.)

Volumes I to V of the Dictionary of South African Biography, offered together as a matching run in the publisher’s maroon bindings, each volume a first edition.

The Dictionary of South African Biography was produced for the National Council for Social Research and its successor, the Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria. The five volumes trace the changing hands of the project over almost twenty years.

Vol. I was published by Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk, Cape Town, as a first edition in 1968. Vols. II (1972) and III (1977) were published by Tafelberg-Uitgewers, Vol. III printed and bound by National Book Printers, Goodwood.

Vol. IV was published by Butterworth & Co (SA), Durban and Pretoria, in 1981, printed and bound by Interprint, Durban.

Vol. V of the Dictionary of South African Biography was published by the Human Sciences Research Council itself in 1987, printed by Creda Press, with a Chris van Rensburg Publications sole distributor’s label on the title page.

The editors-in-chief named in the volumes are W. J. de Kock, D. W. Krüger and C. J. Beyers, with J. L. Basson as co-editor of Vol. V.

Each volume carries the Dewey classification 920.068 and the series Library of Congress card numbers.

The dust jackets on this Dictionary of South African Biography run vary: a plain brown paper jacket on Vol. I, printed maroon and brown jackets on Vols. II to IV, and a pictorial jacket with portrait photographs on Vol. V.

The Dictionary of South African Biography is a standard reference for researchers, historians, genealogists, librarians and collectors of Africana, and a substantial addition to any South African reference shelf.

Condition – Good

All five volumes of this Dictionary of South African Biography set are in maroon boards with spine titles and volume numerals, with firm bindings and clean title pages.

The boards show light surface marks and rubbing to the spine ends and numerals. Foxing is present to the top edges of all volumes, with lighter spotting to the fore-edges.

Vol. I: plain brown jacket with small chips at the spine head and corners; heavy foxing to the fore-edge and endpapers, a browned offset shadow on the front free endpaper, and a Shuter & Shooter, Pietermaritzburg bookseller’s label on the front pastedown.

Vol. II: the weakest jacket, with a sunned spine, chipping and loss at the head and tail, a split and short tear on the front panel, and foxing, tide-marks and old tape repairs on the reverse.

Vol. III: faded jacket in a clear protective plastic cover, scratched and creased, fixed with old yellowed tape, with a small chip at the lower corner.

Vol. IV: lightly sunned jacket with chipping at the spine ends and corners and a tide-line stain inside; a printed ISBN slip is pasted to the copyright page.

Vol. V: pictorial jacket with scattered spotting and light rubbing; a small stain to the top edge and light foxing to the endpapers.